A video of the world's largest building: the Chengdu New Century Global Center

Chengdu has finally cemented its reputation as a megalomaniac city with the release of a bizarre 15-minute promotional video for the New Century Global Center (新世纪环球中心), which it describes as "Chengdu's gift to the world."

The video touts Chengdu's desire to become "a world-class modern city of idyllic beauty" and repeatedly likens the center to heaven and paradise, calling Chengdu a "god-favored land" and stating (twice, in case you missed it the first time) that the center will command the respect of the world.

Let's take a look. Click here to watch the video on youtube

The building, with 1,760,000 sqm indoor space slated to be the world's largest standalone structure is run by the Exhibition and Travel Group, owners of the adjacent Century City Exhibition Center and Intercontinental and Holiday Inn hotels.

Construction on the building has progressed steadily, and the center is expected to open in April 2013, coinciding with Chengdu hosting the Fortune Global Forum in June of that year.

The longest side of the structure is 500 meters and will house the expected (shopping centers, hotels, offices, cinemas) and the unexpected (an ocean park with a massive indoor "beach" complete with sand, a "coastline" backed by the world's largest LED, and the world's largest artificial waves).

Here are some of the numbers the video boasts of:

Grand playhouse capacity: 2,000
Theater capacity: 1,000
Concert hall capacity: 1,000
International conference center: 10,000 square meters
Showroom: 12,000 square meters
Contemporary art gallery: 30,000 square meters
Artificial beach: 5,000 square meters (400-meter "coastline"
World's largest LED: 150m x 40m
River rafting: 500 meters
Lobby: 10,000 square meters and 65 meters tall
Number of on-site five-star hotels: 2
Total number of deluxe suites: 1,000
Central business tower: 720,000 square meters
Number of ("international famous brand") elevators: 244
Number of parking spaces: 15,000

Facing the new contemporary arts center designed by prominent architect Iraqi-British Zaha Hadid the center is expected to create a second city center in the south, linked to the rest of Sichuan's capital by 20 bus lines and an underground pedestrian passageway and its own station for Metro Line 1, and to a number of interprovince expressways.

Share this article

Comments

• • Tim
    October 10, 2012

  • It will start decomposing before it's opened. Like all the rest of China's modern architecture.

• • Florian
    October 13, 2012

  • probably the most boring place ever, unless you are ready to spend a lot.
    I hope the old people living on picking empty plastic bottles in trash bins will be allowed to pick bottles in the trashbins inside. Giving the price this center will probably cost it would be unfair they don't get their share...

• • Josh
    October 15, 2012

  • disease of Chinese architecture. A blind pursuit of the grand as a status symbol for the powerful, while the people of the city are ignored. another irresponsible architecture. Culture is not built, it is nurtured.

• • Jill
    October 17, 2012

  • Have you seen the structure? I go by it every day on my way to work. They're doing such a shitty job building it. The roof isn't even all smooth lines, it's completely messed up. It won't last more than 5 years... Yet again, China sacrifices quality for speed. Anyone surprised?

• • mark sakyi
    October 17, 2012

  • wow

• • Dan Kucheran
    November 9, 2012

  • Do I ever wish I was teaching Urban Geography again: this is fantastic!
    This fits perfectly in the new economic model which the world must and thus will eventually lead into because of necessity ( which still is the mother of inventions!).
    Just to be living in a country that is willing and able to experiment/build/ develop/ finance/ be creative about life.
    The coming economic model will be: sustainable-steady-state-eco-centred economic system. Europe is proving that the present systems already do not work. Unfortunately, Europe, which lead the way into the urbanization/industrial model just does not seem to be able to break out of its stupid concrete constipated mode. It is so stupid of everyone seeking to try to catch on to the coat tailing of Asian countries that are just breaking into the mistakes of the west. China and Korea are not and will not repeat the mistakes of blind selfishness and stupidity of greed, consumerism and stressful living that is self destructive.

• • Daoshao Pi
    January 3, 2013

  • Looks more like a mall than a building.

• • Jimmy Clemons
    July 12, 2013

  • Lisa this should interest you.

• • maranatha
    July 13, 2013

  • wow,people can practically stay there for the rest of their lives .They have everything! I wonder how much it'll cost to stay at the hotel.

• • basia
    July 14, 2013

  • Does anyone know where can I find some important details about the building, for example what source of energy is going to be used to power all of that, including it's artificial sun.

• • invisible
    July 14, 2013

  • @basia

    i assume it uses the electricity from the grid which is mainly coming from burning coal.

    I haven't seen an artificial sun there, but i remember it being extremely hot and moist inside.

Comments Form

• Safari
• Ryan's Sandwich
• Living Room
• The Beer Nest
• Léman International School – Chengdu
• MandarinCorner
• i2 International Institute of Education
• My House in China